Tate Southisene Explains Breakout Year as Fall League Play Continues

Shortstop Tate Southisene's first full pro season ended early when he broke his wrist in late July, but the Atlanta Braves prospect is healthy and already hitting well in the Arizona Fall League.

Southisene, who turned 20 on Oct. 6, plays for the Glendale Desert Dogs and has gone 3-for-8 with a double, three walks and two stolen bases through his first three games.

His best game came on Thursday against the Surprise Saguaros, when he went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks and a stolen base.

He did not bat in Friday's win over the Scottsdale Scorpions, and Glendale plays Surprise again on Saturday night.

The Braves took Southisene 22nd overall in the 2025 draft out of Basic High School in Henderson, Nevada, and MLB Pipeline now ranks him as Atlanta's No. 3 prospect and No. 58 on its Top 100 list.

His pro debut was rough, as he hit .219 over 15 games at Single-A Augusta in 2025 with 27 strikeouts and one walk.

He spent the winter reworking his swing after that debut, and he told MLB.com that a cleaner swing helped him see the ball better and make smarter choices at the plate this year.

"Coming in, I was a big handsy guy, big stride, a lot of moving pieces. I was just able to tone those down and be able to look in the zone," Southisene said.

The new swing paid off right away with a .929 OPS and 36 steals over 51 games at Augusta, which earned him a promotion to High-A Rome in June.

He finished the year with a .278 average, an .876 OPS, 12 home runs, 46 RBIs and 45 stolen bases over 90 games across three levels, and he walked 65 times after drawing just one walk in his debut.

The injury came in his first Double-A game, so this fall gives him back some lost at-bats.

Atlanta's season ended on Oct. 7 with a 4-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the NL Division Series, and the front office now has a long winter of decisions ahead, starting with what has to change in the lineup.

The Braves also have a big call to make on their outfield and still need to sort out shortstop for next year.

I do not think Southisene is the answer there in 2027, since he has played just one game above High-A, but his start in Arizona makes me feel better about where he is headed.

I see a real shortstop of the future in a 20-year-old who walked 65 times and stole 45 bases, and his 41 starts at second base give Atlanta another way to use him.

The Braves will push young players they believe in, as they did when right-hander Didier Fuentes reached the majors just after turning 20 in June 2025.

If Southisene keeps getting on base like this, I expect him to open 2027 at Double-A with a good chance to move fast, which would leave one less hole to fill while the front office weighs bigger moves like trading a star arm.